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UC-NRLF 


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GIFT  OF 


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Why  I  am  a  Socialist" 


EUGENE    V.    DEBS 


By  Ten  Los  Angeles  Y.  P.  S.  L.  Members 
and  FRED  D.  WARREN 


SECOND    EDITION 


"Why  I  Am  A  Socialist" 


WE  STAND  FOR  EVERYTHING  WHICH  UPLIFTS, 
AND  AGAINST  EVERYTHING  WHICH  DEGRADES. 

— Y.  P.  S.  L. 


We  dedicate  this  book  to  those  who  toil, 

Whose  lives  are  given  in  the  marts  of  men — 

To  children  working  in  the  reeking  mine — 

To  sweatshop  women,  pent  in  fetid  air. 

These  thoughts  we  scatter  broadcast  to  the  world 

And  ask  they  be  considered,  see  with  us — 

And  build  the  glory  of  a  Better  Day. 

—The  Authors. 


Edited  and   Published   by 
S.  S.  Hahn 
Will    L.    Pollard 


.Los    Angeles,    Cal. 
Sept.    6,     1913. 


Copyright   applied    for. 


"BROTHERLY  LOVE" 

By  Eugene  V.  Debs. 

Precisely!  "Our  interests  are  one,"  exclaimed  the 
fox,  after  devouring  the  goose.  "Same  here,"  ans- 
wered the  hawk,  with  the  feathers  of  the  dove  still 
clinging  to  his  beak.  "I'm  with  you,"  chipped  the 
shark;  and  "I  congratulate  you  upon  your  wise  politi- 
cal economy,"  was  the  amen  of  the  lion  as  the  lamb's 
tail  disappeared  down  the  red  lane. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

Every  age  has  its  problems.  Beneath  the  calm  ex- 
terior of  any  epoch  there  is  a  great  commotion ;  the 
forces  of  progression  and  retrogression  are  in  con- 
stant deadlock,  and  from-  this  strife  there  arises  the 
principles  of  the  civilization  that  is  to  be.  Progres- 
sion always  conquers;  the  principle  which  does  not 
expand  and  grow  to  meet  the  ever-changing  demands 
of  our  race  is  soon  cast  aside,  and  the  more  liberal 
policy  adopted  by 
the  world.  Evolu- 
tion is  the  potent 
factor  of  civilization 
and  race  develop- 
m  e  n  t.  Evolution 
has  changed  man 
from  an  organism 
to  a  conscious  be- 
ing; has  developed 
society  from  barbar- 
ism to  civilization ; 
and  is  destined  to 
change  the  atrocious 
economic  system  of 


ours    to    a    sarje    or- 
der. 

If  the  above  prin- 
ciples are  recagmz'eoT ;  : 


Wl£r:  L.  POLLARD, 

Editor  Y.  P.  S.  L.  News 
•  State  Organizer 


as  being  fundamentally'  "true;  'and'  there  seems  to  be 


no  question  as  to  their  truth,  any  political  or  eco- 
nomic movement  which  bases  its  ideas  on  progres- 
sion, and  the  concrete  precepts  of  evolution,  must,  of 
a  necessity,  appeal  to  the  logical  temperament  of  the 
thinking  individual.  Socialism  is  essentially  progres- 
sive, it  bases  its  entire  program  on  evolution,  and  is 
scientific;  therefore,  I  am  a  Socialist  because  I  would 
be  logical. 

My  life  has  been  spent  in  study.  The  pages  of  the 
world's  history  have  ever  been  open  before  me,  and 
in  the  quiet  of  solitude  I  have  traced  the  develop- 
ment of  mankind.  It  is  said  that  history  repeats  itself, 
and  bearing  out  this  axiom  I  found  that  great  empires 
developed,  only  to  be  absorbed  by  more  powerful 
empires.  I  found  that  great  phases  of  the  world's 
history  evolved  into,  and  were  swallowed  up  by  still 
greater  phases  of  civilization.  Thus  I  saw  that  evo- 
lution controlled  man  and  controlled  empires.  I 
found  that  the  radical  ideas  of  one  age  were  destined 
to  be  the  ruling  ideas  of  the  succeeding  age,  and  I 
recognized  the  power  of  evolution  in  the  development 
of  governments  as  well  as  in  the  devleopment  of  man, 
—thus  I  learned  of  economic  determinism.  I  saw  that 
all  society  was  governed  by  this  great  force,  that  its 
entire  tendency  was  for  the  betterment  of  the  world, 
and  I  realized  that  when  man  recognized  its  influence, 
and  worked  in  conjunction  with  it,  that  he  was  des- 
tined to  succeed.  I  found  that  the  tenets  of  Socialism 
were  maintained  by  this  determinism,  and  as  I  wished 
to  battle  for  a  cause  which  would  aid  humanity,  I  be-' 
came  a  Socialist. 

In  this  study  of  the  world's  history  I  found  that 
through  all  time  man  has  been  enslaved  by  man. 
That  society  has  sanctioned  this  enslavement,  and 
my  spirit  revolted  against  society.  In.  my  revolt  I 
found  that  the  Socialist  program  recognized  this  en- 
slavement as  an  evil ;  that  it  further  pointed  out  the 
cause  for  the  existence  of  slavery,  and  showed  how 
this  great  evil  of  mankind  could  be  abolished.  The 
teachings  of  Socialism  showed  that  the  present-day 
civilization  divides  the  people  of  the  world  into 
classes,  and  that  a  man  must  work  in  harmony  with 

28S977 


his  class  or  die.  I  became  class  conscious,  and  recog- 
nizing Socialism  as  the  interpreter  of  my  class  inter- 
ests, I  adopted  its  principles.  Thus,  because  it  was 
opportune  that  I,  a  worker,  should  do  so,  I  became  a 
Socialist. 

But  Socialism  did  more  than  point  out  the  existence 
of  slavery,  and  its  result,  the  class  struggle.  It  gave 
the  reason  why  the  thing  existed,  and  offered  to  the 
world  the  remedy  of  the  logician.  Socialism  said : 
slavery  exists  because  man  may  profit  from  the  physi- 
cal or  mental  energy  of  his  fellow  man,  and  it  showed 
that  this  great  profit  came  in  the  way  of  unearned  in- 
crement, surplus  value.  It  further  showed  that  sur- 
plus value  was  divided  into  three  parts, — rent,  inter- 
est, and  profit,  and  explained  how  each  of  these  parts 
caused  misery  for  one  class  of  society,  the  pro- 
ducers, and  created  luxury  for  the  other  class,  the 
owners.  Socialism  demands  that  surplus  value  be 
abolished,  and  that  the  producer  be  given  the  full 
value  of  his  toil.  In  this  way,  and  only  in  this  way, 
can  society  be  purged  of  slavery  and  the  class  truggle. 
I  am  a  humanitarian.  The  thought  of  slavery  is  ab- 
horrent, and  my  efforts  shall  ever  be  exerted  in  the 
movement  which  points  out  the  way  in  which  this 
great  evil  may  be  driven  from  our  earth.  Socialism 
offers  the  only  solution  of  the  problem,  therefore  it  is 
natural  that  I  declare  myself  in  favor  of  the  principles 
of  Socialism. 

I  learned  many  things  in  my  study  of  social  ques- 
'tions.  I  learned  that  war,  disease,  poverty,  misery, 
child  slavery,  prostitution,  and  starvation  were  out- 
growths of  the  present  ruling  system,  were  all  trace- 
able to  surplus  value,  and  that  Socialism  was  the  only 
remedy  for  these  conditions  which  struck  at  the  root 
of  the  evil, — surplus  value.  These  great  blots  on  the 
civilization  of  our  age  I  wished  to  see  erased,  and 
since  I  found  but  one  method  which  offered  a  logical 
way  in  which  this  could  be  accomplished,  I  became  a 
Socialist. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

When  a  patient  consults  a  physician,  it  is  first  ascer- 

4 


tained  if  the  patient  is  really  sick.  Then  the  physi- 
cian looks  for  the  cause  of  the  illness.  Having  found 
the  cause,  he  is  in  a  position  to  prescribe  a  remedy. 
Thus,  in  examining  the  condition  of  the  social  body, 
it  is  first  necessary  to  learn  whether  or  not  there  is 
anything  wrong;  next,  to  learn  the  cause  for  such 
condition;  and  then,  to  consider  a  remedy. 

Every  person  of 
ordinary  intelligence 
will  admit  that  there 
is  considerable  room 
for  improvement  in 
the  health  of  modern 
society.  Crime  and 
corruption  are  ever 
on  the  increase ;  food 
is  rotting  in  the 
fields  and  ware- 
houses, while  human 
beings  are  starving; 
shelves  and  show 
windows  are  filled 
with  clothing,  while 
millions  go  in  rags ; 
human  beings  are  HYMAN  LEVIN  :"". 

denied  a  plac'e  to  lay,  .  Ex-Chairman 

their  heads,  while  the  world  affords  an  abundance  of 
shelter;  children  are  being  ground  into  dollars,  while 
grown  men,  ready  and  able  to  work,  starve  for  lack  of 
an  opportunity  to  earn  a  crust  of  bread ;  idlers  living 
in  luxury,  while  the  toilers  are  destitute;  excessive 
wealth  on  the  one  hand  producing  degenerates,  and 
excessive  poverty  on  the  other  hand  producing  like  re- 
sults. These,  and  a  thousand  other  symptoms,  readily 
demonstrate  that  there  is  something  radically  wrong 
with  our  so-called  civilization,  and  that  modern  so- 
ciety is  really  sick. 

Having  ascertained  that  there  is  a  disease,  the  next 
step  is  to  discover  the  cause.  If  you  will  diagnose  the 
condition  of  modern  society,  you  will  find  that  the 
cause  of  a  vast  portion  of  present-day  evils  lies  in  the 
capitalistic  system,  with  its  corner-stones  of  rent,  in- 


terest  and  profit.  Officials  are  corrupted  to  fill  the 
coffers  of  corporations  with  profits ;  clothing  is  denied 
the  naked,  because  they  cannot  satisfy  the  demand 
for  profit,  either  for  lack  of  an  opportunity  to  earn 
anything,  or  because  they  are  robbed  of  what  they 
do  earn.  Food  is  destroyed  to  boost  prices  and  in- 
crease profits;  shelter  is  denied  the  lowly  because 
they  cannot  pay  the  rent  which  goes  to  fill  the  coffers 
of  the  plutocrats;  children  take  the  places  of  men  and 
women  as  their  labor  is  the  more  profitable ;  and  the 
workers'  lives  are  sacrificed  to  satisfy  the  whims  and 
desires  of  the  shirkers — all  this  injustice  is  accom- 
plished through  means  of  the  triplets, — rent,  interest 
and  profit. 

But  the  patient  is  not  content  with  being  told  that 
he  is  sick,  and  being  informed  of  the  cause  of  his 
illness.  What  he  wants  is  a  remedy.  It  is  no  help  to 
a  drowning  man  to  watch  him  sink  and  tell  him  he  is 
sinking  because  he  cannot  swim.  What  he  needs  is 
a  life  line.  And  in  analyzing  the  condition  of  the 
body  politic,  it  should  be  our  endeavor  to  suggest  a 
remedy  for  such  undesirable  conditions  as  may  be 
encountered. 

If,  as  we  have  seen,  rent,  interest  and  profit  are  the 
principal  causes  of  the  disease,  the  first  step  would 
be  to  eradicate  these  evils,,  just  as  you  would  crush 
a  parasite  that  was  sucking  your  blood.  Having 
abolished  rent,  interest  and  profit,  those  human  para- 
sites who  exploit  the  energy  of  their  fellow  men 
through  these  processes,  will  have  to  eat  bread  in 
the  sweat  of  their  own  brow.  All  would  be  producers. 
With  modern  machinery  and  methods,  the  ability  of 
the  human  race  to  produce  all  that  is  needed  to  supply 
the  comforts  and  necessities  of  life  is  beyond  question. 
The  problem  of  production  is  solved. 

The  problem  of  distribution  is  yet  to  be  solved. 
When  all  become  workers,  this  will  become  simple. 
The  logical  solution  would  be  for  each  to  receive  the 
full  social  value  of  his  efforts.  Everyone  would  want 
what  he  produced.  Who  could  ask  for  more?  Who 
could  affirm  the  justice  of  less? 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  meaning  and  object  of  Social- 


ism, — a  sane  and  simple  solution  for  modern  economic 
difficulties.  The  philosophy  of  Socialism  diagnoses 
the  eveils  of  our  present  capitalistic  system,  shows  the 
causes  of  such  evils  and  points  the  way  to  a  more 
just,  healthier,  happier  society,  where  all  human  be- 
ings may  live  and  prosper  in  peace  and  plenty.  Such 
a  movement  is  worthy  of  the  support  of  every  think- 
ing, justice-loving  man  and  woman.  That  is  why  I 
am  a  Socialist.  That  is  why  YOU  should  be  a 
Socialist. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

It  has  been  said  that  some  people  are  born  So- 
cialists, some  acquire  Socialism,  and  others  have 
Socialism  thrust  upon  them. 

I  cannot  analyze  my  own  case, — but  I  know  it  was 
not  thrust  upon  me. 
It  was  not  preached 
to  me  at  home, — nor 
have  strenuous  eco- 
nomic straits  driven 
me  to  it.  Neither  did 
I  wade  through  vol- 
umes of  books  on 
economics  to  acquire 
it.  Most  of  my  read- 
ing along  this  line 
has  been  done  since 
I  was  attracted  to 
Socialism. 

I  am  a  Socialist 
because  my  ordinary 
every-day  conscience 
tells  me  that  a  sys- 
tem which  compels 
the  worker  to  sell 
the  greater  portion 
of  his  waking  hours 
to  any  individual,  or 

i  n  d  i  v  i  d  u  a  Is,      is  BERTHA  L.  MARTIN,' 

wrong.      It    tells    me  Dramatic  Manager 

that    such    a    system  State  Organizer 


does  not  differ,  essentially,  from  slavery;  that  he  who 
owns  the  means  of  life  owns  the  life. 

The  idea  that  a  person  who  has  spent  several  years, 
perhaps,  in  mastering  a  trade,  in  order  to  become 
a  good  producer,  must  go  to  the  individual  who  owns 
the  land  or  the  machine  and  beg  for  an  opportunity 
to  produce,  appears  to  me  an  absurd  indignity.  That 
the  employer  should  retain  two-thirds  of  the  product, 
as  compensation  for  his  "superior  intelligence,"  and 
pay  the  remaining  one-third  to  the  worker,  in  my  mind 
cannot  be  termed  "justice." 

The  improvement  in  the  machinery  of  production 
has  failed  to  bring  with  it  an  improvement  in  the 
condition  of  the  working  class.  Modern  machinery 
calls  for  the  employment  of  young,  energetic  men  and 
women.  Since  the  worker  receives  no  more  than 
enough  to  keep  body  and  soul  together,  he  cannot  lay 
up  money  to  keep  him  when  the  capitalist  is  through 
with  him.  The  question  of  old  age  is  therefore  one 
of  terror  to  the  worker,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  a 
system  which  fails  to  provide  for  this  contingency  is 
wholly  inadequate. 

Under  this  system  the  children  of  the  working  class 
are  deprived  of  the  opportunity  to  secure  an  educa- 
tion. Many  people  think  that,  because  we  have  public 
schools  there  is  no  excuse  for  failure  to  avail  oneself 
of  a  common  school  education.  How  thoughtful ! 

Local  observation  in  regard  to  young  people  leaving 
school  to  go  to  work,  leads  me  to  wonder  hpw  many 
throughout  the  country  have  found  such  a  step 
necessary. 

According  to  the  census  of  1910,  more  than  2,000,- 
000  children,  between  the  ages  of  10  and  15  years, 
found  it  necessary  to  forego  the  advantages  of  a  com- 
mon school  education,  to  go  into  the  factories  to 
earn  their  daily  bread  and  help  support  the  family. 

The  last  available  statistics  show  that  the  esti- 
mated number  of  children  in  the  United  States  was 
24,239,820.  The  total  number  enrolled  in  public 
graded  and  high  schools,  was  17,506,170.  Of  this 
number,  not  more  than  870,000  were  in  the  high 
schools. 

•8 


Statistics  compiled  in  1908  showed  that  not  more 
than  one-third  of  the  children  who  enter  elementary 
schools  ever  finish  them,  and  not  more  than  one-half 
go  beyond  the  fifth  grade.  Only  about  one-third 
of  the  small  per  cent  who  enter  the  high  schools 
remain  beyond  the  second  year,  and  only  one-sixth 
graduate. 

Can  you  account  for  the  ignorance  among  the 
poorer  classes? 

The  inequality  of  opportunity  in  the  economic 
sphere  hinders  the  intellectual  advance  of  the  working 
class,  and  keeps  them  in  subjection. 

This  condition,  of  course,  is  not  new.  It  was  a 
similar  proposition  against  which  our  fathers  fought 
in  the  American  Revolution. 

In  this  connection,   Lincoln  said: 

"Most  governments  have  been  based,  practically, 
on  a  denial  of  the  equal  rights  of  man.  Ours  began 
by  affirming  these  rights.  They  said,  'Some  men  are 
too  ignorant  and  vicious  to  share  in  government/ 
'Possibly  so/  said  we,  'and  by  your  system  you  would 
always  keep  them  ignorant  and  vicious.  We  propose 
to  give  all  a  chance ;  and  we  expect  the  weak  to  grow 
stronger,  the  ignorant  wiser  and  happier  and  better 
together/  ' 

The  system  of  government  should  be  made  to  har- 
monize with  the  new  industrial  conditions. 

That  much  musical  and  artistic  talent  is  crushed 
and  suppressed  by  the  capitalist  system  cannot  be 
doubted.  Capitalism  offers  no  encouragement  to  the 
development  of  the  higher  arts  among  the  common 
people,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  the  class  whose  chief 
ability  lies  in  the  accumulation  of  wealth  supplies  very 
little  artistic  genius. 

Every-day  events  preach  the  doctrine  -of  Socialism. 
For  instance,  such  a  news  item  as  the  following  is 
by  no  means  uncommon : 

"Mrs.  -  -  delights  Newport  society  with  Novelty 
Monkey  Dinner.  Event  Outshines  Anything  Recently 
Witnessed.  $40,000  Expended.  Two  Genuine  African 
Monkeys  Guests  of  Honor,  etc.,  etc/' 

On  the  same  page  you  may  read  of  the  girls  in  a 


shirt-waist   factory   striking  for   a  raise   in   wages   to 
$6  a  week. 

Socialism  proposes  to  abilish  extreme  poverty  and 
extreme  wealth,  the  cause  of  nine-tenths  of  the  crime, 
—white-slavery,  robbery,  suicide, — with  which  So- 
ciety is  cursed.  It  seems  perfectly  reasonable  that 
under  a  just  system,  crime  would  be  reduced  to  a 
minimum. 

—  Socialism  proposes  a  system  of  co-operation  in  place 
of  individualism  and  competition.  It  proposes  that 
the  producer  shall  also  be  the  owner.  It  proposes  that 
the  system  shall  be  so  re-adjusted  that  all  may  have 
an  opportunity  to  work  and  receive  the  full  social 
value  of  their  product ;  that  every  child  may  receive 
the  best  education  that  society  can  provide,  and  enjoy 
the  influence  of  a  decent  home  life. 

By  the  elimination  of  waste  labor,  it  proposes  to 
shorten  the  hours  of  toil  so  that  the  masses  may  have 
opportunity  for  intellectual  and  spiritual  develop- 
ment. 

I  am  a  Socialist  because  the  Socialist  Army  is  hope- 
ful, sincere,  determined.  It  has  declared  war  against 
the  profit  system,  and  its  activities  will  never  cease 
until  the  last  vestige  of  the  despised  thing  shall  be 
eliminated  from  the  face  of  the  earth! 


WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

This  is  the  age  when  Socialism  is  admittedly  shak- 
ing the  old  foundations  of  society  the  world  over,  and 
penetrating  our  politics,  science,  art  and  literature; 
therefore,  it  is  not  an  act  of  supererogation  to  confess 
that  I  am  a  Socialist. 

Socialism  is  the  aspiration  and  determination  of  the 
producers  to  become  masters  of  their  own  destiny; 
it  is  the  greatest  issue  of  international  character  be- 
fore the  world  today,  and  represents  the  next  phase 
of  civilization.  It  is  destined  to  supplant  capitalism, 
as  capitalism  took  the  place  of  feudalism— that  is  why 
I  am  a  Socialist. 

I  am  a  Socialist  because  the  fundamental  principles 

10 


of  Socialism  are  characterized  as  politically  demo- 
cratic, as  it  aims  to 
give  all  citizens 
equal  political  pow- 
er, without  regard  to 
sex  (Socialists  do 
not  designate  the  fe- 
male sex  as  an  ad- 
dendum to  an  archa- 
ic thorax),  color,  or 
creed ;  and  demands 
that  all  those  things 
upon  which  the  life 
of  the  people  de- 
pends, must  be  so- 
cially owned  and 
democratically  man- 
aged, for  the  use  of 
the  common  good, 
instead  of  for  profit 
of  a  class,  thereby 
caste  and  class  may 
be  ended. 

Industry,  through  the  revolution  worked  by  ma- 
chinery, has  become  a  socialized  work;  the  invention 
of  machinery  has  effected  a  complete  social  change, 
and  political  power  and  economic  conditions  must  ad- 
just themselves  to  this  change.  The  twentieth  cen- 
tury will  no  doubt  witness  this  change — the  culmina- 
tion of  capitalism,  and  the  rise  of  Social  Industrial 
Democracy — that  is  why  I  am  a  Socialist. 

As  a  Socialist  I  indict  the  present  system  with  the 
highest  crime  conceivable,  because  of  the  fact,  that 
the  multiplication  of  labor-saving  machinery  and  im- 
proved methods  in  industry,  which  cheapened  the  cost 
of  production ;  and  in  spite  of  the  continuous  advance 
of  man's  power  to  utilize  the  forces  of  nature,  to  the 
extent  that  he  is  now  able  to  surpass  the  production 
of  wealth  of  preceding  centuries,  the  results  of  the 
economic  revolution  has  been  almost  wholly  evil.  The 
hundredfold  increase  in  wealth,  sufficient  to  provide 
food,  clothing  and  shelter  for  our  whole  population, 

11 


S.  S.  HAHN, 

State  Organizer 

Educational  Manager 


has  been  distributed  with  such  gross  injustice  that 
thousands  are  starving  daily.  The  share  of  the  pro- 
ducer grows  ever  less,  while  the  prices  of  all  the  neces- 
sities of  life  steadily  increase;  this  causes  life  to  become 
a  desperate  battle  for  mere  existence;  and  results  in 
poverty,  not  in  an  arid  desert,  but  in  a  garden  of 
plenty. 

It  is  evident  that  this  problem  is  one  of  unequal 
distribution,  rather  than  of  inadequate  production ; 
one  class  is  becoming  poorer  and  poorer ;  another 
class  is  becoming  richer  and  richer;  and  disease  and 
crime  increase  in  exact  ratio  with  the  concentration 
of  the  wealth  in  the  hands  of  the  few.  I  say  with  the 
poet : 

"111  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay." 

However,  the  scientific  Socialists  do  not  arraign 
individuals,  nor  contemplate  the  careers  of  the  Mor- 
gans with  an  impulse  of  wrath,  but  regard  them  as 
incarnates  of  the  system.  Why  berate  those  men  who 
have  simply  carried  the  present  competitive  system  to 
its  logical  conclusion?  The  all-absorbing  question  is, 
shall  a  few  people  own  the  earth,  or  shall  all  the 
people  own  it?  Scientific  Socialism  condemns  the 
system,  and  proposes  to  sweep  away  the  hideous  ex- 
tremes, misery  side  by  side  with  wanton  extravagance 
and  colossal  wealth.  Socialism  will  lift  the  poor  out 
of  the  economic  mire  of  poverty,  and  the  rich  out  of 
the  mire  of  luxury — that  is  why  I  am  a  Socialist. 

Socialism  tends  to  add  brilliancy  to  any  brain,  in- 
stead of  mutilating,  and  will  alleviate  all  the  unneces- 
sary sorrow  and  agony  in  human  life. 

I  am  a  Socialist  because  Socialism  will  not  stimu- 
late the  incentive  to  steal ;  will  not  exalt  the  money 
grubber  and  starve  poets ;  will  not  commercialize  and 
degrade  art ;  will  not  break  up  the  home  and  drive  the 
women  to  prostitution  and  the  children  into  the  fac- 
tories. Socialism  will  establish  equality  of  oppor- 
tunity and  will  protect  the  good,  the  beautiful  and  true. 
Under  Socialism  each  producer  will  receive  the  full 
product  of  his  labor. 

The  Socialist  party  represents  the  political  power 

13 


of  the  producing  class,  and  stands  uncompromisingly 
for  the  overthrow  of  the  existing  rotten  system,  and 
the  interest  of  that  class  is  its  vital  principle.  As  a 
member  of  the  Socialist  Party,  I  declare  that  the  capi- 
talist system  has  outgrown  its  historical  functions, 
and  has  become  utterly  incapable  of  meeting  the  prob- 
lems now  confronting  society,  and  I  resent  with  great 
indignation  such  an  unmitigated,  greed-cursed,  ugly, 
slimy  system. 

It  is  not  a  question  of  changing  the  places  of  the 
classes,  but  of  destroying  class  rule  once  and  for  all ; 
not  craving  supremacy  for  any  faction  of  society,  but 
seeking  to  establish  social  paramoutcy  through  legis- 
lative action — that  is  why  I  am  a  Socialist. 

With  the  elimination  of  class  supremacy,  Social- 
ism will  abolish  devastating  wars,  by  reason  of  amal- 
gamating the  various  nations  under  the  adopted  RED 
FLAG,  the  flag  which  appeals  to  the  fraternal  feeling, 
the  common  humanity  and  the  parental  love  of  all 
nations.  This  means,  in  the  political  sense,  that  the 
black,  white,  yellow,  pink  and  green  producers  are 
alike,  and  all  have  blood  of  the  same  color — that  is 
why  I  am  a  Socialist. 

Socialism  is  an  applied  science.  It  is  in  itself  only 
another  word  for  sociology;  the  science  of  the  con- 
stitution, phenomena  and  development  of  society,  and 
has  for  its  end  the  elevation  of  the  masses  to  a  civic 
dignity,  and  that,  therefore,  the  principal  care  is  for 
moral  and  intellectual  cultivation. 

Socialism  is  coming  with  lightning  rapidity;  the 
people  are  marching  with  ranks  unbroken  and  a  un- 
animity of  purpose  which  has  grown  steadily  since  the 
overthrow  of  feudalism.  The  great  majority  of  the 
labor  movement  of  the  world  is  permeated  with  the 
principles  of  Socialism ;  men  and  women  are  advanc- 
ing in  a  solid  phalanx,  and  with  ever  increasing  en- 
thusiasm, to  the  conquest  of  economic  and  political 
rights.  They  are  approaching  a  stage  of  society  in 
which  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
the  producers  shall  rule  and  all  shall  be  producers, 
and  thereby  ruler  and  slave,  poverty  and  crime,  vice, 
and  the  coining  of  children's  blood  into  dividends, 


14 


shall  pass  from  the  earth ;  a  society  in  which  the  na- 
tion will  own  the  means  of  production  and  distribu- 
tion which  will  be  operated  co-operatively  by  the  De- 
mocracy. 

I  am  a  Socialist,  and  hail  its  philosophy  because  I 
have  profound  faith  in  the  ultimate  realization  of  hu- 
man brotherhood,  and  know  of  nothing  better  as  a 
means  to  an  end,  and  as  an  uplift  for  humanity.  In 
place  of  armories,  battleships,  war,  shirkers,  classes 
and  races  hostile  to  each  other,  Socialism  will  substi- 
tute school  houses,  homes,  peace,  workers,  and  broth- 
erhood respectively — that  is  why  I  am  a  Socialist. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

To  be  a  Socialist  is  to  be,  first,  a  believer  in  Social- 
ism, a  contemplated  state  of  society  wherein  compe- 
tition must  give  way  to  co-operation,  and  second,  to 
be  a  builder  in  society.  To  tell  why  I  am  a  believer 
would  be  to  tell  what  Socialism  is,  a  long  story,  better 
told  by  others.  To  be  "a  builder  in  society"  is  about 
as  clear  as  to  say  "a.  builder  in  a  city."  It  may  mean 
carpenter,  mason,  architect,  painter  or  plumber.  To 
tell  why  I  am  a  So- 
cialist is  to  explain 
why  I  am  a  "build- 
er," what  kind  of  a 
builder,  and  what  1 
hope  to  build. 

When  the  build- 
ings on  a  city  square 
become  antiquated, 
and  no  longer  meet 
the  demands  of  the 
community,  they  are 
removed,  brick  by 
brick  and  timber  by 
timber,  to  make  way 
for  something  new. 
No  beam  is  removed 
until  that  which  it 
supports  is  first  dis- 
posed of.  As  a  result,  surrounding  business  is  undis- 


GORDON  WHITNALL 
Chairman 


turbed  by  dangerous  collapses  and  unnecessary  ob- 
structions. 

While  the  process  of  orderly  destruction  is  going 
on,  plans  are  made,  and  sections  constructed  for  the 
building  that  is  to  take  the  place  of  the  old.  Fre- 
quently provision  is  made  for  the  future  enlarging  of 
the  new  structure,  and  the  foundation  and  equipments 
are  gauged  accordingly.  Everything  possible  is  done 
to  provide  for  the  present  and  future  needs  of  the 
building  and  its  occupants.  As  the  ground  is  cleared 
the  foundation  is  laid;  the  skeleton  framework  raised; 
the  fireproofing  done;  the  partitions  placed,  and  the 
finishing  completed.  A  new  structure  has  risen  from 
the  old,  and  no  one  has  been  inconvenienced  during  the 
process.  Gradually,  as  change  follows  change,  a  new 
city  is  built,  and  no  one  can  point  to  "The  date  the 
change  took  place."  Society  changes  its  form  in  much 
the  same  manner. 

As  the  gradual  substitution  of  old  buildings  by  new 
will  eventually  make  a  new  town,  so  the  consistent 
replacing  of  old  social  institutions  by  new  will,  in 
time,  reconstruct  society  along  Socialistic  lines.  A 
certain  amount  of  caution  is  required,  however,  lest 
some  "timber"  be  pried  loose  before  the  institutions  it 
supports  are  first  removed.  To  overlook  this  may 
result  in  damage  to  "other  buildings"  in  which  we 
must  "live"  until  the  new  is  constructed. 

As  the  old  are  removed,  the  more  difficult  task  of 
providing  the  new  is  before  us.  We  must  determine 
wherein  the  old  was  deficient,  and  provide  against  this 
deficiency  in  the  new.  We  must  look  into  the  future 
and  build  to  meet  the  coming  needs.  We  must  build 
so  as  not  to  interfere  with  neighboring  structures,  or 
they  with  us.  We  must  do  collectively  what  individ- 
uals do  today. 

In  the  backwoods,  architecture  plays  a  small  part 
in  life.  A  sharp  ax  and  a  good  eye  meet  all  demands. 
In  the  city  it  becomes  more  of  a  science  as  conges- 
tion and  other  city  problems  arise.  Social  institu- 
tions, likewise,  become  more  pronounced  and  clearly 
defined  in  the  metropolis.  It  is,  therefore,  in  the,  city 
that  the  greatest  strides  are  .to  be  made. 

16 


The  important  work  in  connection  with  the  bring- 
ing about  of  the  co-operative  commonwealth  is  to 
clearly  outline  what  changes  are  at. present  desirable, 
and  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  make 
them.  It  is  necessary  to  build  a  section  at  a  time, 
bearing  in  mind  always  our  complete  structure.  It 
is  not  an  easy  task  at  best,  and  nothing  but  a  common 
understanding  of  the  goal  to  be  reached  would  make 
it  possible.  Unity  of  purpose  is  essential.  Method 
of  proceedure  is  a  detail.  Socialists  have  this  unity 
of  purpose.  I  have  my  method  of  proceedure.  I  am 
a  Socialist,  not  because  I  "believe,"  but  because  I 
want  to  DO,  and  with  the  co-operation  of  thousands 
of  others  who  want  TO  DO,  there  is  much  hope  of 
coming  to  some  understanding  of  how  to  proceed  in 
order  to  make  this  earth  of  ours  more  fit  to  live  on. 

It  is  to  co-operate  with  my  kind  in  bringing  about 
the  co-operative  commonwealth,  which  we  mutually 
desire,  that  I  pool  my  efforts  with  theirs  in  the  organ- 
ized effort  for  betterment  of  the  world — the  Socialist 
movement. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

Why  am  I  a  Socialist?     Ah,  why! 

Why  'does  the  grass  grow?  Why  do  the  birds 
sing?  Why  is  the  sea  filled  with  eternal  unrest? 

Can  you  analyze  the  fragrance  of  the  rose,  the 
mystery  of  love,  the  charm  of  exquisite  music? 

Then  why  do  you  ask  me  to  analyze,  to  explain  the 
great  passion  of  my  soul?  For  that  is  what  Socialism 
is  to  me,  the  great  passion  of  my  soul !  My  being 
pulsates  with  it,  my  heart  throbs  with  it,  my  soul  has 
been  transfigured  by  it.  It  has  awakened  me  to  a  new 
life !  If  it  were  taken  from  me  I  might  continue  to 
exist,  but  I  could  no  longer  live.  Only  by  working 
for  it  can  I  find  peace. 

Do  you  think  that  I  could  be  happy  knowing  the 
misery  and  the  tragedy  of  this  system  if  I  saw  no 
hope  ahead,  if  it  were  not  for  Socialism?  How  I 
detest  this  Capitalist  System :  a  system  which  blights 
love  and  crushes  beauty,  which  grinds  out  the  li 
of  millions  of  little  children,  which  turns 

17 


to  ashes  and  their  hearts  to  dust,  and  forces  women 
to  sacrifice  their  all  for  bread. 

When  I  think  upon  these  things  my  soul  grows  sad, 
and  it  is  filled  with  an  agony  that  grips  me  with 
greater  sorrow  than  the  haunting  melody  of  exquisite 


Ruth  Coward,  Lecturer 

music,  or  the  remembrance  of  a  love  that  is  gone 
forever.  A  dumb  unuterable  misery  that  almost 
drives  me  mad.  I  could  not  bear  it,  I  could  not  endure 
it  if  it  were  not  for  the  great  hope  that  Socialism 


brings  me.  The  hope  of  the  New  Day  that  shall 
break  in  glorious  beauty  over  the  entire  world,  trans- 
figuring it  with  light. 

A  few  years  ago  my  soul  was  very  sad,  for  I  was 
not  a  Socialist — at  least  I  did  not  know  that  I  was 
a  Socialist.  And  then,  to  the  little  inland  village 
where  I  lived  came  a  stranger.  His  hair  was  frosted 
by  the  snows  of  many  winters,  his  heart  was  melolwed 
by  the  sun  of  many  summers.  He  brought  to  me 
the  great  message  of  Socialism.  It  was  through  him 
that  I  became  a  worker,  however  small,  in  the  great 
cause;  a  bearer,  however  humble,  of  the  great  mes- 
sage. Words  cannot  express  how  I  love  and  revere 
this  glorious  comrade.  I  write  his  name  with  deep 
reverence  and  love, — Comrade  R.  A.  Maynard,  a  man 
among  men,  a  soul  among  souls.  He  has  been  the 
guiding  star  and  the  inspiration  of  hundreds  of  human 
souls. 

The  light  that  he  has  shed  upon  my  life  has  trans- 
figured it  with  love,  with  a  great  race  love,  a  love 
for  every  soul  that  lives  upon  the  earth.  The  world 
is  my  field,  socialism  is  my  religion ;  to  work  for  it 
is  my  joy,  to  carry  its  tidings  to  my  fellow  men,  that 
is  my  life ! 

Life  can  yield  me  nothing  dearer  than  the  right 
to  work  for  the  cause  I  love,  for  the  cause  that  I  know 
is  right.  For  the  cause  that  shall  emancipate  all 
humanity  and  make  true  happiness  possible.  It  is 
the  only  hope  and  the  only  salvation  of  the  human 
race.  Through  it  alone  can  the  sorrow  and  misery 
of  the  present  system  be  dispelled.  It  alone  can 
usher  in  the  New  Day. 

And  when  the  New  Day  has  flooded  the  world  with 
its  light,  life  will  become  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a 
joy.  There  shall  be  no  poverty,  overwork  or  un- 
employment. No  man  shall  eat  bread  in  the  sweat  of 
another's  brow.  Swords  shall  be  beaten  into  plow- 
shares. Peace  shall  reign,  and  plenty  shall  be  upon 
the  earth.  The  material  needs  of  man  shall  be  sup- 
plied, and  the  spiritual  and  intellectual  needs  as  well. 
Education  shall  be  for  all.  Everyone  will  have  leisure 
for  the  joy  and  the  beauty  of  life.  Manhood  shall 

19 


be  unbound,  womanhood  shall  be  exalted,  childhood 
shall  be  made  free.  A  human  race  shall  dwell  upon 
this  earth  as  far  superior  to  the  race  that  now  inhabit? 
it  as  we  are  superior  to  the  prehistoric  cave  men; 
a  human  race  pure,  noble,  free;  a  human  race  normal 
and  beautiful;  a  human  race  that  shall  be  truly 
HUMAN ! 

'These  things  shall  be      A  loftier  race 
Than  e'er  the  world  has  known  shall  rise 
With  flower  of  freedom  in  their  souls 
And  light  of  science  in  their  eyes." 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

I  am  a  Socialist  because  I  am  a  human  being;  I 
have  eyes  to  see  with,  ears  to  hear  with,  and  a  heart 
which  feels  for  the  suffering  on  every  side  of  me. 
There  is  a  rebellion  of  my  whole  being  against  our 
present  capitalist  system ;  a  system  that  is  the  cause 
of  all  the  suffering  and  injustice  of  the  world  today, 
and  because  of  this  I  am  a  Socialist. 

It  was  as  a  boy  of 
14  that  I  first  heard 
the  word  Socialist  or 
Socialism  mentioned, 
and  it  was  then  that 
I  began  to  realize 
the  cause  of  all-  the 
poverty,  misery  and 
crime  which  one  sees 
an\d  hears  on  every 
hand.  My  father 
took  me  to  a  meet- 
ing held  in  the  Court 
House  at  Prescott, 
Arizona,  in  1903. 
The  speaker  was 
Benjamine  Wilson, 
a  brother  of  J.  Stitt  GEORGE  E.  REESLUND, 
Wilson,  ex-Mayor  of  Manager  Athletic  Department 
Berkeley,  Cal.  I  remember  distinctly  the  impression 
he  made  on  my  young  mind ;  his  arguments  were  very 

20 


plain  and  simple.  One  part  of  his  speech  that  inn 
pressed  itself  on  my  mind  was  this :  there  are  two 
classes  in  society  today  which  are  diametrically  op- 
posed to  each  other;  the  capitalist  class  and  the  work- 
ing class.  The  capitalist  class,  owning  the  machinery 
of  production  and  distribution  which  the  working 
class  must  use  to  make  a  living.  It  is  to  the  interest 
of  the  capitalists  to  secure  labor  at  as  low  a  price, 
and  to  work  their  laborers  as  many  hours  as  possible, 
and  it  is  to  the  interest  of  the  workers  to  secure  as 
large  a  price  for  their  toil,  and  to  work  as  few  hours 
as  possible.  Thus  the  interests  of  the  two  classes  are 
opposed,  and  as  long  as  the  present  system  lasts  we 
will  have  strikes,  lockouts  and  blacklists  with  the  usual 
misery  and  strife  acocmpanying.  For  instance,  a  man 
builds  a  shoe  factory,  he  installs  machinery  and  has 
everything  complete,  a  nice  large  building  fitted  up 
with  the  finest  machinery  will  stand  a  hundred  years, 
but  would  be  worthless  without  human  labor  to  run 
the  machines,  turning  the  raw  product  into  the  fin- 
ished article.  He  did  not  build  the  factory  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  work  to  needy  workers  or  to 
supply  shoes  for  needy  people ;  the  factory  was  built 
for  the  purpose  of  making  a  profit,  and  to  make  a 
profit  the  owner  must  secure  his  laborers  at  less  than 
what  they  produce :  for  example,  if  a  worker  produces 
12  pairs  of  shoes  in  a  day  he  does  not  receive  the 
value  of  12  shoes,  but  gets  the  value  of  say  six  shoes, 
so  as  to  leave  a  profit  to  the  owner.  This  is  true  of 
every  private  enterprise,  and  the  worker  receiving 
wages  equal  to  the  value  of  six  shoes,  when  he 
actually  produces  to  the  value  of  12  shoes,  or  what- 
ever the  commodity  happens  to  be,  can  purchase  only 
the.  value  of  6  shoes,  thus  leaving  a  surplus  to  the 
factory  owner. 

This  surplus  can  be  disposed  of  for' a  time  by  the 
non-producing  class,  and  by  shipping  to  the  foreign 
markets,  but  foreign  markets  are  becoming  scarcer, 
and  through  the  introduction  of  modern  machinery 
this  surplus  is  getting  larger.  The  warehouses 
become  full  of  surplus,  and  the  industries  are 
forced  to  curtail  production ;  a  portion,  or  perhaps 

21 


I 

o 


o 

CO 


1 

s 
d 

CO 


the  whole  force  is  laid  off.  Immediately  their  pur- 
chasing power  is  diminished  to  practically  nothing. 
The  retailer  is  first  to  feel  the  effects,  he  cancels  his 
orders  to  the  wholesalers,  and  they  likewise  cancel 
orders  to  the  factory;  industrial  stagnation  sets  in, 
money  is  scarce,  the  banks,  being  compelled  to  meet 
the  demands  of  their  idle  depositors,  are  forced  to  the 
wall — this  results  in  a  panic.  These  panics  are  bound 
to  come  at  regular  intervals,  and  as  the  wealth  is  con- 
centrated more  and  more  into  the  hands  of  a  few,  and 
production  is  carried  on  with  less  waste  energy  and 
more  modern  machinery  is  installed,  these  panics  will 
become  more  frequent.  The  only  solution  for  this 
problem  of  panics,  with  their  consequent  misery  and 
hardship,  is  the  Socialist  solution  of  collective  own- 
ership and  democratic  management  of  all  the  things 
which  the  people  depend  on  collectively,  and  the  pri- 
vate ownership  of  those  things  which  they  depend  on 
privately.  Socialism,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  only  sal- 
vation for  the  toiling  masses;  if  it  were  not  for  the 
Socialist  Party,  and  the  Socialist  Movement,  the 
Capitalist  Class  would  become  bolder  and  bolder; 
legislation  would  be  passed  strengthening  their  hold 
upon  the  workers,  the  military  would  soon  supersede 
the  civil  power,  and  an  oligarchy  of  wealth  would  be 
enthroned  which  would  rule  with  an  iron  hand.  The 
picture  painted  by  Jack  London  in  his  book  "The  Iron 
Heel"  would  become  a  realty;  the  workers,  driven 
to  desperation,  would  start  a  world-wide  rebellion 
which  would  wipe  civilization  from  the  earth.  If  the 
rich  but  realized  the  outcome  of  their  mad  scramble 
for  wealth,  they  too  would  see  that  Socialism  is  the 
only  salvation  for  our  present-day  civilization,  and 
would  help  to  bring  the  masses  to  an  understanding  of 
the  co-operative  commonwealth. 


WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

The  Socialist  party  offers  the  only  practical  and 
efficient  remedy  for  the  present  incompetent  and 
wasteful  chaos;  therefore  I  am  a  Socialist.  Anyone, 

23 


with  the  least  intelligence  can  see  the  faults  of  the 
present  system  of 
government,  but 
the  people  who  see 
t  h  i  fe  incompetency 
are  divided  into 
many  classes.  There 
are  those  who  see 
the  evil,  yet  fail  to 
note  its  significance. 
They  are  like  the 
person  who  is  so 
engrossed  in  his 
thoughts,  that 
though  his  eyes  see, 
his  mind  compre- 
hends nothing  o  f 
what  is  happening 
about  him.  Second- 
ly, there  are  those 
who  see  and  under-- 
stand,  but  say  that 
such  conditions 
have  always  been, 
therefore  they  al- 
ways will  be.  These 
remind  me  '  of  the 
ignoramuses  who  sneer  at  every  new  invention,  say- 
ing, "I  never  saw  anything  like  it,  so  I  just  know 
it  won't  work."  These  people  never  progress,  but 
stick  in  the  same  rut  as  long  as  they  live,  ever  sinking 
deeper  into  the  mire,  and  all  the  time  trying  to  pull 
others  in  with  them.  Thirdly,  and  lastly,  there  are 
those  people  who  see  the  oppression  all  around  them 
and  immediately  start  looking  for  the  causes,  the  ulti- 
mate results  and  possible  preventatives.  Almost  all 
of  this  group,  are  in  the  Socialist  Party.  The  rest 
are  on  the  way.  They  are  progressives  in  the  strictest 
sense  of  the  word. 

There  are  several  questions  which  seem  inevitable 
when  one  sees  the  striking  contrasts  in  our  boasted 
land  of  the  free,  When  one  sees  the  hovels  of  the 


MILDRED  TRAVIS, 
Librarian 


producer  of  wealth,  and  the  veritable  palaces  of  the 
idler,  is  it  not  possible  that  he  will  ask  himself  the 
question,  "Is  it  just?"  "How  comes  it,  that  the  man 
who  works  at  the  hardest  kind  of  toil  receives  barely 
enough  to  keep  him  alive,  while  the  non-producer  re- 
ceives much  more  than  he  can  possibly  consume?"' 
How  can  such  questions  be  answered?  It  requires 
investigation  and  clear  thinking  to  ferret  out  the 
cause,  but  when  one  finds  it,  everything  can  be 
explained  so  simply  that  a  child  can  understand  it. 

The  doctrines  of  Socialism,  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  have  been  accepted  by  the  people,  remind 
me  of  Christianity  and  its  progress.  Socialism  is,  in 
itself  applied  Christianity.  It  is  the  economic  phil- 
osophy of  that  greatest  of  martyrs,  Christ.  His  fol- 
lowers were  first  ridiculed,  then  persecuted,  and  finally 
the  religious  part  of  their  teachings  accepted.  Now, 
the  economic  portion,  Socialism,  is  in  the  stage  of 
persecution,  and  not  many  years  hence  will  come  the 
great  revolution,  when  man  will  break  his  chains  and 
gain  his  well-earned  freedom. 

The  Socialist  philosophy  proposes  an  ideal  system 
of  government.  It  has  been  Man's  goal  ever  since  the 
first  savage  tribe  was  formed,  and  the  fiercest  man 
made  the  chieftain.  The  members  of  the  tribe  united 
their  strength  for  protection  from  their  common 
enemy,  the  wild  beasts.  That  was  the  first  coopera- 
tion. In  the  future,  all  peoples  will  be  united  for  the 
mutual  welfare  of  the  race. 

Being  somewhat  of  an  idealist,  and  much  addicted 
to  day-dreams,  I  have  many  times  pictured,  in  my 
mind's  eye  this  future  civilization.  It  is  a  beautiful 
picture  and  if  you  will  bear  with  me  I  shall  endeavor 
to  give  it  to  you.  In  the  first  place,  everyone  works. 
As  everyone  works,  no  one  labors  more  than  three 
or  four  hours  per  day,  the  time  depending  upon  the 
kind  of  work,  the  rest .  of  the  time  is  devoted  to 
study,  recreation  and  travel.  All  schools,  universities 
and  colleges  are  free  and  accessible;  therefore,  every- 
one is  well  educated.  Travel  is  considered  an  essen- 
tial part  of  very  child's  training.  The  very  highest 
value  is  placed  on  the  fine  arts,  which  soar  ever  higher 

25 


and  higher.  Every  home  shows  taste  and  individual- 
ity in  its  construction,  and  even  the  factories  are  ex- 
amples of  beautiful  architecture.  All  industries  are 
democratically  owned  and  operated.  Noise  and  dirt 
.are  absent.  The  huge  smokestack  has  been  discarded. 
The  never  ceasing  waves  have  been  enslaved  by  Man, 
and  furnish  power  to  drive  his  trains  and  his  ships, 
to  plow  his  fields  and  run  his  mills,  to  light  and  heat 
his  home  and  cook  his  food.  Even  the  solar  rays 
have  been  subjected  and  are  utilized  as  power. 

The   realization  of  this   dream   is  promised  in  the 
Socialist  philosophy, — therefore,  I  am  a  Socialist. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

In  the  history  of  the  human  race,  there  is  not  one 
great  discovery,  achievement  or  invention  which  the 
great  mass  of  the  people  did  not  proclaim  as  impos- 
sible. The  person,  or  persons,  carrying  on  the  pio- 
neer work  were  often  abused  and  always  called 
dreamers.  Columbus  struggled  for  years  before  he 
found  anyone  who  would  help  him.  Stevenson 
and  his  locomotive  were  laughed  at  and  jeered. 
When  Fulton  was 
steaming  up  the 
Hudson  people  were 
still  saying  that  his 
boat  was  impracti- 
cal. 

If  you  ask  an  ar- 
chitect who  is  de- 
signing a  fourteen- 
story  building  how 
he  knows  that  it  will 
stand,  he  will  point 
to  one  twelve  stories 
high  and  will  say 
that  they  are  the 
same,  but  allow- 
ances •  have  been 

made    for    the    extra  NATHAN  BUCHOLTZ 

weight  in  the  higher  Local  Organizer 

26 


building.  Ask  the  builder  of  a  two-story  building  the 
same  question,  and  he  will  point  to  a  shack  across 
the  street  and  will  say  that  the  one  is  an  improve- 
ment upon  the  other. 

Ask  the  Socialist  how  he  knows  that  Socialism  is 
possible  and  he  will  trace  the  development  of  the 
present  system,  and  show  that  it  is  but  a  step  to  the 
co-operative  commonwealth.  Socialism  is  not  a  fig- 
ment from  the  brains  of  a  Marx  or  an  Engels ;  it  is  a 
system  founded  on  evolution.  The  growth  of  the 
human  race  can  be  traced  through  its  various  stages; 
barbarism,  feudalism  and  capitalism.  If  one  had  told 
the  feudal  knight  that  the  time  would  come  when  the 
affairs  of  the  nation  would  be  managed  by  a  popular 
vote,  he  would  have  thought  his  informer  a  fit  subject 
for  the  insane  asylum. 

The  change  from  one  state  to  another  has  been 
gradual.  It  is  impossible  to  pick  a  certain  day  and 
say  that  on  this  day  barbarism  ceased  and  feudalism 
held  full  sway. 

Evolution, — change  through  growth, — is  slow,  but 
none  the  less  sure. 

Let  us  trace  the  development  of  capitalism  to  the 
present  day,  and  let  us  show  that  Socialism  is  the  next 
stage  in  human  progress. 

With  the  invention  of  the  steam  engine  and  labor- 
saving  machinery,  the  small  individual  producer  and 
tool  owner  was  forced,  either  to  combine  with  sev- 
eral other  producers  and  form  a  company,  in  order 
to  purchase  machinery,  or  to  work  for  these  com- 
panies on  a  wage  scale.  They  who  tried  to  compete 
with  their  hand  labor,  were  forced  to  give  in;  they 
could  not  produce  as  cheaply  as  could  the  company 
with  its  machinery.  Machines  became  more  complex 
and  costly,  and  in  order  to  make  them  pay  it  was 
necessary  to  centralize  the  industry  and  produce  in 
enormous  quantities.  These  companies  expanded  and 
formed  corporations  which  built  great  plants,  equip- 
ping them  with  machinery  which  bewilders  the  brain. 
With  increased  production  competition  was  keen  for  a 
while,  then  the  managers  and  owners  of  these  corpora- 
tions began  to  see  the  folly  of  fighting  one  against  the 

27 


other,  when  it  was  so  much  easier  to  combine,  and 
thus  control  prices.  This  they  did,  and  we  have  the 
trust  as  a  result.  These  enormous  organizations,  with 
their  large  machinery  can,  and  are,  producing  cheaper 
than  could  any  small  factory.  If  one  tries  to  compete 
against  them  they  sell  goods  for  less  than  cost,  until 
the  competitor  consolidates  with  them,  or  is  destroyed. 
These  are  the  conditions  of  affairs  today.  The  trust 
form  of  organization  is  perfect,  but  it  is  used  to  benefit 
the  few  person  who  are  in  control.  Nothing  is  cared 
for  the  people  whom  they  employ.  They  are  consid- 
ered a  part  of  the  machine,  a  machine  whose  work  is 
to  produce  dividends.  Should  a  machine  be  invented 
which  would  produce  twice  as  much  as  the  one  it 
displaces,  will  the  workers  who  handle  it  receive  twice 
as  much  pay,  or  are  their  hours  shortened  proportion- 
ately? No!  Half  the  men  are  discharged,  and  per- 
haps, if  the  machine  is  simplified,  boys  or  girls  are 
employed.  Thus,  the  machine,  at  the  present  time, 
tends  to  become  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing. 

These  industries  are  wholly  managed  by  employees 
—men  working  on  a  salary  basis.  Any  one  having 
enough  money  can  invest  in  a  corporation  and  draw 
dividends.  Thus  a  person  may  invest  in  a  building 
company  and  not  know  the  difference  between  a  bun- 
galow and  a  dog's  kennel.  Rockefeller  might  die  to- 
morrow, but  the  Standard  Oil  Company  would  con- 
tinue business  in  the  same  manner  as  at  present. 

The  Socialist  says  that  the  trust  has  solved  the 
problem  of  production.  The  workers  already  man- 
age these  industries.  Let  us  now  own  them  and  we 
will  have  Socialism, — since  Socialism  is  Democratic 
control  and  ownership  of  all  things  socially  used.  It 
is  not  only  practicable,  but  it  is  inevitable.  It  is  the 
next  step  of  evolution. 

Let  us  produce  for  use  and  not  for  profit.  Those 
who  work  should  receive  the  full  social  value  of  what 
they  produce.  If  machinery  increases  production,  the 
hours  of  labor  should  be  reduced;  then,  and  only  then, 
will  machinery  be  a  blessing. 

Under  Socialism  no  man  will  be  able  to  live  off  the 
dividends  produced  by  another's  labor ;  poverty  will 

28 


be  abolished,  and  peace  and  happiness  will  reign  upon 
the  earth. 


WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

The  working  class  has  been,  is,  and  will  be  ex- 
ploited as  long  as  the  present  unjust  and  evil  system 
of  society  prevails.  I,  being  a  member  of  the  working 
class,  have  been,  am,  and  will  be  exploited  as  long 
as  capitalism  continues.  Under  the  present  system 
Mammon  is  supreme.  Conscience,  virtue,  mother- 
hood, maidenhood,  childhood,  and  sweet  innocence 
are  sacrificed  on  the 
altar  of  this  omnipo- 
tent God,  and  the 
smoke  of  groaning 
victims  only  serves 
to  sharpen  his  aug- 
ust appetite. 

Loud  mouthed  re- 
formers, few  earnest, 
many  selfish  and 
hypocritical,  have 
time  without  num- 
ber endeavored  to 
wipe  out  crime,  mis- 
ery, degradation,  and 
the  white  slave  traf- 
fic, and  the  result  is, 
that  this  land  of  the 
free  and  the  home  SIG  SHAINMAN 

of  the  brave,  has  overcrowded  jails  and  brothel- 
houses  galore.  The  reformers  are  not  successful  be- 
cause they  do  not  strike  at  the  root  of  crime,  which 
is  a  child  of  poverty,  while  poverty .  is,  in  turn  a 
child  of  the  present  unequal  system  of  production  and 
distribution.  I  claim  that  no  murderer  murders  for 
the  joy  he  finds  in  killing,  and  that  the  robber  has  little 
delight  in  his  hazardous  profession.  We  are  all  victims 
of  environment.  The  incentive  to  go  wrong  under  this 
system  is  ever  before  us,  and  if  we  refuse  to  fall  the 
whip  of  hunger  is  ever  on  our  backs ;  thus  are  created 
the  Jean  Valjeans  whom  society  so  ardently  perse- 

29 


cutes  through  life.  There  is  no  reason  why  men, 
women,  and  children  should  go  hungry.  Mother 
Earth  is  bountiful.  There  is  plenty  of  the  necessaries 
and  comforts  of  life  for  every  human  being. 

With  the  modern  machines  of  production  the  peo- 
ple can  produce  more  than  they  can  consume.  The 
only  reason  that  poverty  stalks  in  the  land  is  because 
we  have  not  learned  to  keep  the  things  we  produce, 
but  turn  them  over  to  the  parasite  class,  known  as 
the  capitalist  class,  and  styled  by  themselves  as  the 
"better"  element  in  society.  I  am  ardently  opposed 
to  a  system  where  few  live  in  luxury  and  debauchery 
at  the  expense  of  the  many;  where  the  men  who  do 
no  useful  work  give  monkey  dinners  and  poodle  dog 
suppers,  while  we,  the  working  class,  the  producers, 
live  in  squalor.  The  few  live  in  mansions,  we  live 
in  hovels.  Our  daughters  are  used  by  them  as  ser- 
vants, and  our  sons  as  lackeys.  Their  dogs  are  taken 
care  of,  but  our  children  are  forced,  through  economic 
conditions,  to  roam  the  highways  and  by-ways  in 
search  of  a  few  pennies  with  which  to  buy  bread. 
They  abuse  us,  insult  us,  mock  us,  and  laugh  us  to 
scorn  in  their  subsidized  press,  while  our  children 
gather  in  the  harvest  for  them.  They  grow  more  arro- 
gant, more  powerful  every  day,  and  when  we  ask  for 
more  bread  they  give  us  bullets.  It  is  to  change  this 
condition  that  I  am  a  Socialist. 

Our  sons  are  filled  with  false  patriotism,  and  are 
fooled  by  Fourth  of  July  oratory,  or  are  forced,  by 
economic  conditions,  to  become  soldiers,  sailors 
and  militiamen,  and  are  taught  the  noble  art  of  man- 
slaughter; and  when  the  workers  strike,  the  masters 
send  out  the  sons  of  the  workers  and  order 
them  to  shoot,  and  shoot  straight,  at  fathers,  mothers, 
sisters,  and  brothers.  War  is  raging  in  this  bourgeois 
ridden  world,  and  many  are  the  fields  of  battle  that  are 
strewn  with  the  corpses  of  the  working  class,  a  feast 
for  the  birds  of  prey.  I  am  opposed  to  war  and  that 
is  why  I  am  a  Socialist.  Socialism  is  a  scientific  edu- 
cational movement  which  aims  to  do  away  with  ex- 
ploitation of  man  by  man,  through  the  mediums  of 
rent  profit  and  interest.  It  aims  to  abolish  exploita- 


tion,  thereby  abolishing  poverty,  tlir  source  of  crime, 
ignorance  and  misery.  The  white  slave  traffic  will 
only  be  solved  when  Socialism  rules  the  world.  This 
is  why  I  am  a  Socialist.  Socialism  will  do  away  with 
this  vale  of  tears ;  it  will  emancipate  the  wage  slaves, 
and  will  give  every  one  the  full  social  value  of  his  toil. 
War,  misery,  poverty,  degradation,  and  prostitution 
will  be  a  thing  of  the  past,  under  Socialism.  Social- 
ism will  bring  an  era  of  peace  and  happiness,  and  so 
I  am  a  Socialist. 

WHY  I  AM  A  SOCIALIST. 

I  became  a  Socialist  shortly  after  I  discovered  that 
there  were  a  great  many  things  in  this  world  that 
I  wanted  and  could  not  get.  I  experienced  my  first 
feelings  of  rebellion  against  things  as  they  are,  when 
it  became  necessary  for  me  to  quit  school  that  I  might 
earn  a  few  dollars  to 
eke  out  the  family  in- 
come. During  my  early 
boyhood  days  I  cher- 
ished a  burning  ambi- 
tion for  an  education. 
I  had  dreams  of  going 
away  to  college  and 
later,  attending  a  uni- 
versity. As  the  years 
passed,  and  the  struggle 
for  existence  became 
more  terrible,  this 
dream  of  a  university 
education  faded  into  a 
dim  memory. 
•  At  that  time  I  was 
very  orthodox  in  my 
religious  and  political 
views  and  therefore  I 
was  quite  confident 
that  in  some  myste- 
rious way  God  had  or- 
dained that  this  thing 


FRED  D.  WARREN, 
Editor  Appeal  to  Reason 


I  wanted — a  college  education — should  not  come  into 


31 


my  life.  I  pandered  over  this  question  until  it  began 
to  glimmer  through  my  consciousness  that  there  was 
no  good  and  valid  reason  why  a  boy  should  be  denied 
an  education.  All  that  was  required  was  first  the 
determination  on  the  part  of  the  boy,  and  I  had  that 
determination.  College  buildings  were  erected  by 
labor,  and  there  was  plenty  of  labor  for  that  purpose. 
School  books  were  likewise  made  by  labor,  I  knew 
that  there  were  plenty  of  labor  to  make  books,  and 
teachers  there  were  in  countless  numbers. 

I  then  began  to  search  for  the  cause  of  my  inability 
to  realize  my  ambition.  This  led  to  a  study  of  polit- 
ical questions  and  industrial  problems  from  a  new 
viewpoint. 

About  this  time  I  met  a  miner,  an  Irishman,  who 
had  seen  the  rough  side  of  life  in  many  a  fierce  strug- 
gle, which  had  left  their  scars  upon  his  body.  His 
mind,  however,  was  keen  and  active.  He  took  pains  to 
explain  to  me  the  workings  of  the  industrial  system. 

'There  is  no  reason,  my  boy/'  he  said  to  me:  "Why 
you  should  not  go  to  college — save  this :  For  gen- 
erations your  ancestors  produced  wealth  which  they 
did  not  get." 

This  was  a  new  thought  to  me.  My  folks  were  not 
wealthy — in  truth  we  had  scarcely  enough  to  provide 
food  and  clothes  and  to  pay  the  rent.  Still,  my  father 
and  his  father,  and  my  mother's  father  and  his  father 
before  him,  had  all  been  hard  workers.  They  had  been 
noted  for  their  industry  and  thrift. 

My  investigation  led  to  an  understanding  of  how  the 
wage  system  operates.  A  man  is  paid  $1.00  for  producing 
$2.00  worth  of  wealth.  With  his  wage  he  buys  the  neces- 
sities of  life.  I  could  see  that  under  this  arrangement  he 
could  never  buy  all  that  he  made.  Then  I  understood  the 
game  of  capitalist  robbery.  From  that  time  my  evolution* 
was  rapid.  I  became  a  subscriber  to  the  Appeal  to  Reason. 
This  cleared  up  many  of  the  mysteries.  I  became  enthusi- 
astic in  support  of  the  Appeal — so  enthusiastic  that  I  was 
invited  by  Comrade  Wayland  to  join  the  Appeal's  staff. 

For  fifteen  years  I  have  been  doing  my  best  to  put  the 
Appeal  in  the  hands  of  those,  who  like  me,  know  instinc- 
tively that  there  is  something  radically  wrong.  They  await 
only  the  magic  word  of  the  Socialist  agitator  to  start  them 
on  the  right  track. 

32 


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